


To Be Believed In

by Les7091



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Evil Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Fear, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-14 17:51:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18481324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Les7091/pseuds/Les7091
Summary: Pitch originally planned to go after The Sandman... but then he saw something more in Jack Frost. Something strong that could potentially take him down... or take the Guardians down. But Pitch wouldn't kill him, no... he was going to use him.What would you do to be believed in?Idk how to add an image to the story, so here is a link to a photo I edited to go with the story http://fav.me/dd55zpd





	1. The Change

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this on ff.net. It was the second story I ever shared online, so it's a few years old, but still one of my favorites.

The black sand circled faster and faster, making it impossible for anybody to see… except Pitch. He could see exactly what he was after. He pulled his black bow back, took aim… and fired. His aim was true and his arrow found its target; burying itself deep in Jack's heart. Pitch had originally planned on going after The Sandman, but he saw something more in Jack, something strong, something that could have taken him down… or taken the Guardians down.

So rather than shooting him in the back, he shot him through the heart… and changed him. Jack groaned loudly as he looked down at the arrow. His eyes rolled back, he dropped his staff, and began to fall out of the sky. The wind wasn't there for him this time, but The Tooth Fairy was. She flew up quickly, catching him and laying him down in Santa's sleigh. Bunny, Sandy, Santa, and Tooth all sent Pitch a dark look, and with a final grin… he disappeared with his nightmares.

They went back to Santa's workshop and took Jack inside. He still hadn't woken up. They knew he wasn't dead, because he would have disappeared. All they could do was wait. And so they did. They watched the globe while they waited and… the lights stayed steady. They could tell Pitch was waiting, but what was he waiting for? As long as he wasn't messing with the children, they could afford to put Pitch on the back burner. Jack needed their attention right now. Even Bunny seemed really bothered by Jack's condition. He wasn't showing any signs of awakening

To keep themselves from being too bothered, Bunny painted eggs, Easter was soon. Santa kept the yetis and elves busy. Sandy send dreams out the window, he tried sending dreams to Jack, but it didn't work. And Tooth told her fairies where they needed to go. They had been released by Pitch, every single one of them. Not long after they returned to the workshop, fairies showed up by the hundreds. But why?

After what seemed like forever… Jack awakened. His eyes just suddenly opened and he sat up. Everybody gathered around him, asking him questions, but he didn't say anything. He simply took his staff from Tooth, and stood up. He said nothing before taking flight with the wind out the open window. Tooth tried to follow him, but Bunny stopped her. There was something off about Jack that had made him feel uneasy. And so they all allowed him to leave.

Jack knew just where to go. He didn't know how he knew; the Moon didn't tell him, but he found the old, broken bed quickly. Without any hesitation, he went down the hole under the bed and followed the tunnel until it opened up. Pitch was waiting for him. He grinned at the sight of Jack. His eyes, once a bright ice colored blue, were now a blue so dark they were nearly black; the color of midnight… when nightmares liked to play the most. And his teeth, which used to be perfect, were all now sharpened. Several nightmares surrounded Jack, to see what he was doing there and try to determine his fears. Jack said nothing as they nudged at him and smelled him.

"Jack Frost… how nice to see you here; I trust you have seen… the light?" he said, chuckling slightly. Jack took a deep breath and spoke his first words since…

"What did you do to me?" he asked. His voice was different from before; deeper, gruffer

"I made you see things my way! It is quite nice, isn't it?" he told him

"I saw fears…" Jack said softly, more to himself "Why?" he then asked Pitch

"Because we can help each other this way; we can make them believe. I know how badly you wish to be believed in… I feel the same way. But now, together, we will make them believe" he explained

"Why me?"

"Why you? What goes together better than cold and dark?" He said, motioning to Jack, and then himself

"…Who will believe?" Jack asked

"Everyone" Pitch told him, softly.

Jack thought about it for a while. He had waited three hundred years to be believed in. He tried being the good guy. He helped thousands of kids have fun… but they never believed. The Moon always refused to tell him his purpose… and He never stopped him from going to Pitch. Maybe it was meant to be. Jack looked around Pitch's den… it was missing something

"Okay" Jack agreed to work with Pitch. Then he flew around the room, adding sharp shards of ice to the ceiling and walls. His ice used to be a bright, beautiful, clear blue. But now it was dark with the occasional streak of black. Pitch grinned at the sight of it

"Perfect" he said

Jack made his way back to the workshop, slowly, taking his time. He stopped a few times to shoot ice onto sidewalks and freeze windows. When he got to the North Pole, he started a blizzard. A huge blizzard, with incredible winds and large snowflakes; it was a white out. Then he went inside, taking his time shutting the door, letting in a lot of snow and cold air

"Jack!" said Tooth. He looked over at her and she gasped at the sight of his eyes, having just gotten a good look at their new color

"What happened, Jack?" Santa asked him. Sandy stared at Jack, a large question mark in sand over his head. Jack smiled at them and they all let out a slight gasp at the sight of his teeth

"Well, I made a nice blizzard outside. I'm sure you know all about those, huh, Bunny?" he said, looking at Bunny and winking. Bunny jumped up to after Jack

"You-" but Santa's arm came out and stopped him

"What's the problem, Santa? Let Bunny come over here to we can have a little… talk… or are you too afraid?" Jack said. He knew Santa was afraid; he could see it. He could also see it in Sandy and Tooth… but not Bunny. He needed to fix that.

Bunny was staring daggers at Jack, and Jack was staring back, but in a much calmer manner. Jack looked deeper into Bunny, beyond his eyes. Then he grinned. He had found it; Bunny's deepest fear

"What is it about that that scares you so?" Jack asked, smiling at him. Tooth shot a look at Santa, and he looked back; they weren't sure what to do "Is it just the kids you care about? Or is it more than that? Could it be that if all the kids stop believing… that eventually even the Guardians will cease to believe? And then maybe even the Man in the Moon himself? Then you would be stuck with nothing in the world…you could watch everything happen… but do nothing to contribute. I think you have abandonment issues, Bunny" Jack could feel and see the fear increase in Bunny's eyes. And now it was very high, higher than anybody else's. Jack could see nightmares gathering outside the window "I think you should talk to Tooth about that… find where your fear of being abandoned… alone… forever may have come from. I have a little advice for you; never stop fearing that. Because if you get over that fear… it may just sneak up on you… and pull the rug right out from under your feet… leaving you cold and in the dark… forever" Bunny tried to hide it, but Jack could see the tremor that had begun in his hands

The others just watched on in surprise, unsure what to do or say. Jack continued to grin at Bunny while he watched him break down. He eventually dropped to his knees and sobbed. Jack could feel the fear radiating off of him, and he reveled in it. The nightmares were getting antsy, able to smell the fear so strongly, but unable to get to it. Tooth rushed over to comfort Bunny while staring after Jack in horror. How could he be so cruel?

Jack said nothing else, just strolled casually back to the door. He opened it and stood there a moment, letting in more snow and cold air. Once the room's temperature dropped at least ten degrees, he turned back to the others and spoke

"I will be believed in" he said, and then left


	2. Hope

They didn't know what to do. Or say. What had Pitch done to Jack? And how? Could it be reversed? Was Jack going to go after the children with Pitch? How did they plan on getting children to believe?

Bunny was stuck for the rest of the night. Again, the lights on the globe stayed steady, so they didn't need to worry just yet. So Bunny stayed by the window… stuck in his past

"Things will get better eventually" Bunny's mother always told him. And he had believed it. And he repeated it to himself constantly. Even when his mother disappeared and he was left alone; even when he was taken by carnies. They dressed him in animal costumes and forced him to perform for many years. But he always had hope and told himself "things will get better eventually"

He thought it had finally come true and that eventually had come when one of the performers stole a large piece of gold from a king they had preformed for. It was huge, the size and nearly the shape of an egg. He planned on getting it from the performer and returning it to the king. Then maybe the king would keep him and he would no longer have to be a carnie. He manage to get the large lump of gold and to better hide it, he painted it. He still held out the hope that he would return it to the king. Even when he could hear people following him; even when they yelled at him to return; even when they caught him, he still held out the hope that things would get better. But they didn't.

Then the Man in the Moon saved him. Never had He seen someone with so much hope. He wanted him to show the world the kind of hope he had believed in. Bunny was happy with it for a long time; seeing the hope in children's eyes as they searched for their own eggs of gold; of hope.

Bunny had never realized he had such a fear of abandonment. And now it was loud and clear. And he was scared. Jack was obviously determined to be believed in; as was Pitch. What if they did make the children quit believing in the rest of them? What if Jack was right and the other Guardians came after the children? What if even the Man in the Moon left him alone this time? He refused to talk to anybody; he only continued to paint eggs with a shaky hand.  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

Jack showed up back at Pitch's den with a large grin on his face. Pitch was slightly surprised at how riled up the nightmares were; he had never seen them like that

"Well done, Jack! Soon everything, everything will be! - "

"Pitch Black?" Jack offered

"And Jack Frost, too" Pitch said. Jack narrowed his eyes at him. Pitch wanted him so people would believe in him; because he believed nobody believed in him. Jack got angry. He quickly flew at Pitch and threw him back until he was against the wall with Jack's staff at his throat. Pitch could have turned to shadow, had he not been so caught off guard. Jack stared into his eyes until he confirmed his suspicion about Pitch's deepest fear

"You are so pathetic; fearing that you will never be believed in. You are believed in!" Jack shouted at him, pointing to Pitch's globe. He was angry "You have kids who believe in you! Maybe not for long, but they believe! And how many kids have believed in me? None!" then Jack grinned; he could see other fears "Even more pathetic; you are afraid of the Guardians… that they could take you out forever. Stupid." Then Jack chuckled a little bit "Wow… and now I see you are afraid of me… you made me this way, and now you are afraid of me?"

"You- you couldn't possibly know that" Pitch snarled at him. Jack shook his head at him

"You didn't realize that I would be stronger than you, did you? I can see your fears. I can look into your soul and see your fears tightly nestled together, trying to protect each other… but it doesn't work. I see them try to get out, but they are unable. I can see what makes your fears flare and run wild. I had quite the time with Bunny and his fears. But at least with him, the nightmares couldn't get to him… you aren't so lucky" Jack said as the nightmares gathered around them. Pitch was now too afraid to remember how to turn to shadow and get away. He knew what the nightmares could do; he had created him. And now they were looking at him like he was a meal… as was Jack

"Oh, and I also take great pleasure in fear, as the nightmares do. I can smell it all over you… and it's amazing. You should be scared…" Jack leaned in close and took a deep breath through his nose before stepping away… and then the nightmares attacked. Jack simply walked out, listening to Pitch screaming.  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

Jack went around the world, traveling on the wind. He went to places where there should be no snow, and made a blizzard, while the snow began to melt in other places. He frosted windows with the words Jack Frost and whenever he heard somebody say his name, he hit them with a gust of freezing wind.

And then it happened.

A man was at his car, scraping off the frosted Jack Frost on his windshield with Jack watching him and laughing

"Damn Jack Frost" the man muttered to himself. Jack then hit him with a wind strong enough to nearly knock the man over. The man's son then laughed at him

"What'd you do to upset him, Dad?" the boy asked

"Upset who?" the man asked

"Jack Frost, of course" the boy said. Jack waited and didn't hit the boy with an icy wind

"Don't be ridiculous; Jack Frost isn't real" the man said. Jack shot him a dirty look and nearly knocked him over again with a blast of wind "At least… I don't think so" the man said. He was looking right at Jack, but he didn't know it. Jack hit him with a wind again, this time knocking him over. The man fell hard on his butt. He looked up again at where Jack was standing… and his eyes doubled in size

"J-J-Jack Frost" the man stuttered, pointing straight at Jack. Jack smiled, showing off his teeth. The man scrambled back a few feet

"What's your problem?" the boy asked his dad, laughing

"Jack Frost!" the man shouted, staring and pointing at Jack. Seeing the fear in his father's eyes, the boy's expression changed from one of amusement, to one of fear as well.  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

The globe lit up bright enough for everybody to notice, even Bunny; who still wasn't himself. Santa stood and went to the globe, looking closely at the new light

"Can it be?" he asked softly to himself. This had only happened a handful of times in the past, and the last time had been long ago, so he couldn't be sure.

"North… is that…?" Bunny said, staring at the light; as was everybody else

"Did Pitch do that?... Or Jack?" Tooth asked, looking nervous

"I'm not sure who did it, but… they must have done something amazing to make an adult believe…"


	3. Easter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed up the time the movie took place in. Rereading it made me realize it isn't quite as obvious as I thought when I originally posted it

Jack laughed at the papers that had come out the next morning  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

Man Claims to have seen Jack Frost

Yesterday, while scraping an ice 'Jack Frost' off of his car window, the man claims to have been hit directly by several bursts of icy cold wind before realizing it was Jack Frost himself blowing the winds. Many of us have heard of the mythical Jack Frost, but for those who don't know; Jack Frost is a being who is believed by some to bring snow days and fun to children, with stories about him going back at least a hundred years. None of the stories can be traced to a single person or group, however. He was always believed to have been a nice and gentle being, but according to this man's account; "His teeth were pointed and sharp. He held a large stick and his eyes were dark as night… maybe even darker" The man's son was present during his supposed encounter, but does not recall anyone other than his father present. However, both the boy and his father seemed highly shaken. The boy claimed "The fear in my dad's eyes was scary… but I don't know what he was looking at" Is the mythical being known as Jack Frost no longer so mythical? Or did this man simply spend too much time in the snow? And could the being he claims to have seen be behind the ice vandalisms seen around the country?  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

Jack knew he could do it. And it only took a day. How long did Pitch try? He was pathetic, Jack thought to himself. He spent most of his time at the man's house he has gotten to believe. The man looked out the window every few hours and, seeing Jack outside, cowered back inside. He wouldn't let his wife or son leave the house and, of course, he didn't leave the house himself.

When Jack did occasionally leave the man's house, he wrote his name anywhere and everywhere in frost. He could feel and smell the fear people were beginning to feel. Jack was surprised the Guardians hadn't bust in, trying to stop him. They were probably too scared, Jack thought with a chuckle. He watched a group of people, volunteers, trying to clear the frost from the cars around the city. It was only late September and people were highly bothered by the high amounts of frost, so volunteers had gotten together to help people clear away the Jack Frost's from their windshields. He got closer, to listen to their quiet conversations with each other

"Who could be doing this?" one woman asked "Or what" she then muttered

"How are they doing it? It's real ice; you can't paint on ice!" one man said, annoyed by it all

"What if it really is him?" the woman asked softly

"Who?" the man asked

"Jack Frost" she whispered. Jack grinned and shot a gust of wind at her. She shivered and her teeth shattered "Oh my god" she said loudly, loud enough for all the others to look in her direction

"Did you see that?" she said to them "I said his name and the wind blew right at me!" the others looked a little worried and bothered "You try it!" she demanded of the man she had been talking to

"Try what?" he asked

"Say his name and see what happens" she said. The others began to gather closer to the two of them

"Fine, but only to prove to you that he's not real. Jack Frost!" the man said, loudly. Jack shot a hard gust of wind at his face; knocking off the man's hat. He began shivering and Jack could smell that it was from more than just the cold

"You see! Oh my god; it's true!" the woman said, beginning to panic. The others were amazed. One woman decided to give it a try, trying to convince herself that it was all just rubbish

"Jack Frost!" she shouted. And Jack did to her what he has done to the others. She stood there, freezing, with her mouth hanging open "It is him!" she said. The first woman looked around at the group; looking for any signs of someone believing they were crazy, but they all seemed just as unsure as she was. Then a huge gust of wind came through the group, knocking them all over. They all looked in the direction the wind came from and froze…. It was him… standing right in front of them… he was real. Jack grinned his sharp grin and one woman screamed. They scrambled to stand and then run while Jack watched in delight, relishing the feel of their fear trailing along behind them  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

The fairies had begun bringing in papers when they returned to Tooth after the first adult light came on. There were several stories from places where there should have been no signs of ice, talking about the abundance of frost and, more specifically, frosted vandalism. They'd read the account of the first man to claim to have seen Jack multiple times and greatly debated whether or not to do anything about it. Jack wasn't really hurting anybody and they didn't want to upset him. But now the globe was shining very bright, due to the cluster of lights that shone brighter than the others; the adult lights. There were more now; but how was Jack doing it? They wondered. This continued for months, and the lights continued to multiply  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

It was Easter tomorrow… Was Jack or Pitch going to do anything to stop it? That idea had Bunny scared, but he went along with his plan, as he did every year. The only exception was that he had all the other Guardians with him this year, not wanting to separate for too long with the large unknown flying around on the wind. Hiding the eggs made Bunny feel better; even if he did check over his shoulder every few minutes and in some places it was colder than it should have been. Easter went by without any problems… and no more adult lights came on. Even the frost 'Jack Frost's' had stopped for the day.

When they all went back to the workshop, they were all surprised to see Jack there, waiting for them. He was on top of the globe, looking at all the brighter lights. He didn't move when the Guardians returned, but rather took his time, waiting to greet them. He finally turned, then grinned at the look on Bunny's face. He seemed worried about something… Jack grinned a little wider

"Happy Easter, Bunny" Jack said. Bunny said nothing to him "That's a little rude… it is your holiday after all. I'll try again; Happy Easter, Bunny" Jack repeated

"Happy Easter" Bunny said quietly, not looking at Jack

"See, that wasn't so hard" Jack told him, his grin still on his face "I trust you all have seen what I have been up to" He said, gesturing to the globe under his feet

"You must stop this, Jack" Santa said, being the first to step closer

"Stop what?"

"What you are doing! You cannot force people to believe" he told him

"I'm not forcing people to believe. As you said, you can't do that; it's not possible. I only made them see the light" Jack's grin never faltered "Besides; I'm not hurting anybody. I'm not even hurting you guys. Have you noticed that the number of lights is at an all time high? If a parent believes; their child will too"

They struggled to find a reason Jack needed to quit

"But they're afraid of you" Tooth said, flying over next to Santa

"So?"

"So? So why would anybody want to be feared?" Tooth said, distressed by Jack's answer

"You see it every day… somebody is overcome by a memory. And it's usually not a good one. The bad memories are the ones that stick with us and make a true impression. Kids grow up to forget you all because you provided good memories. I, however, will provide memorable memories; ones that will stick with them forever. And I will not be forgotten" Jack calmly explained

"Yeah, where's Pitch?" Bunny asked, noticing Sandy's questioning shadow of Pitch above his head in sand. Jack chuckled slightly

"He still hasn't showed himself? I'm not surprised; to get taken down by your own creations? Pathetic" Jack said, rolling his eyes

"Did you do something to him?" Tooth asked, not wanting anybody to be really hurt; not even Pitch

"No… not me. His own nightmares; I don't blame them, he smelled so strongly of fear… it was hard to control myself"

"He smells fear?" Bunny asked Santa quietly. But he didn't respond, another light had come on the globe; an adult's light

"See? That can't be me… I'm right here; not forcing anybody to do anything" Jack said, looking at the light "It's out of my hands; they are spreading the belief on their own now. It's quite amazing, really"

"This isn't okay… you are sowing a lot of fear, Jack" Tooth said, saddened by Jack's reasoning. Jack seemed to contemplate what she had said for a moment

"…I don't care" he finally said

"Please, Jack… this isn't you… this is Pitch, he did this to you" Tooth said to him, sounding on the verge of tears

"It doesn't matter" Jack said, quickly drifting down from the globe and stopping just a couple of feet from Tooth "This is who I am now… and that can't be changed. I don't know how to be who I was before anymore. I don't even know who I was before"

"Tooth can show you!" Santa said

"Yes; I have your memories from… before. I can find them and you can see" She told him. Jack took a step back, then shook his head

"….no… I was weak before… too weak to realize it or do something about it" Jack said, taking another step back

"Jack… please" Tooth pleaded. She saw something flash in his eyes… something she couldn't quite identify. Then he nodded

"Fine. Find them" he told her

"The teeth are still out of order from when Pitch took them so I might need a couple of days"

"You will get a day. One. Twenty four hours… Starting now" and Jack was quickly out the window and quickly traveling far away on the wind

Tooth quickly called in as many fairies as she could spare and told them what they needed to do. They all missed the old Jack too, so they were very determined to find his memories to potentially get him back. But Bunny was hesitant

"Do you really think he can be changed back?" he asked, looking at the others. Tooth looked hopeful, Santa looked unsure, and Sandy looked doubtful "I hope so" he said softy


	4. Seeing and Believing. Believing and Seeing

Jack went to his pond. He went to this pond often, even before Pitch had changed him. He was always drawn to this area, though he never knew why. Right now this area had snow in it because it was supposed to, not because Jack made it so. Right now there were several kids ice skating on the frozen pond. He sat in a tree and watched them, seeing as they had not seen him

"Let's have some hot chocolate" one of the girls said, coming to the edge of the pond and sitting next to a backpack. She pulled out a thermos and several small cups. She poured one and held it out to the boy who was in front of her, still on the ice "Here, Jamie" she said

"Thanks" he said, carefully moving to sit next to the girl as she filled and handed out the rest of the cups

"So, Jamie, you're into all those kinds of things, what do you think about Jack Frost?" a different girl asked

"What do you mean, what do I think about him?" Jamie asked, taking a sip of his drink

"Do you believe in him?" the girl asked. Jamie seemed to think about it

"I believe in Jack Frost, but not the Jack Frost people have been talking about" Jamie said

"That makes no sense" the girl with the hot chocolate said

"Sure it does" Jamie picked up a book from the snow, Fantasies, Myths, and Legends "He's in this book. It talks about his history and he is nothing like what people are saying now. Jack Frost is playful and fun; he's never been described as scary" Jamie said, flipping through the pages until he stopped on one. He held the book up so the others could see. It was a drawing of Jack Frost, but it didn't really look like him. "See? He doesn't look scary, and he doesn't have sharp teeth. I looked in another book and he didn't have sharp teeth in that one either. I believe in this Jack Frost" he said, pointing at the picture. The other children seemed to consider what Jamie had said while they drank their hot chocolate. Then they went back to their skating like it never happened. Jack stared at the book from afar, but didn't approach the pond  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

The Guardians were all at Tooth's place, all helping the fairies search for Jack's memories. They had already been looking for hours, but there are a lot of people in the world even though half of them had already been re-filed. They searched for what felt like forever, and seemed no closer to finding it than when they started. And they only had a couple more hours…  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

Jack stayed at the pond long after the children had left. Long after the sun had set and darkness overcame everything. He stayed right where he was, even when it began to snow. He just stared at the pond and thought about what the kid, Jamie, had said. He believed in him… but not as he was. He was deep in thought, only pulled out by the sound of one of Santa's snow globes opening and his reindeer flying through it. The Guardians had found him. He has completely forgotten about the deal about his memories. He watched them come over to the tree he was still seated in

"How did you find me?" he asked; curious. Nobody answered, but Jack did notice when Santa's eyes briefly flitted upward. So the Moon had snitched on him. Tooth flew up a little bit closer to Jack and held out a small, long box.

"We found your memories" She said quietly. Jack quickly floated down to the ground. Tooth moved to the ground as well and, again, held out the box. Jack saw the face on the end of it; a boy who looked a little like him, but with brown hair. He hesitantly took the box from Tooth "Just touch the top of it" she nearly whispered. He looked up at the others and they all stared on in anticipation. He looked back down at the box and gently touched the top of it just his index finger. And he was thrown into his memories

He wasn't expecting what he saw. He was a fun guy. Always playing around and making jokes. He saved his sister. The other Guardians didn't say anything to him when he came out of the memories. He looked behind him, at the pond. It was that pond. With the box held tight in his grasp, Jack walked to the exact spot where it happened. He stared down at it, saying nothing and showing no noticeable emotions. The Guardians didn't move from where they were; not wanting to upset him. He put the box in his pocket, gripped his staff tightly with both hands, and then brought the end of it down hard on the ice. It cracked and he quickly hit it again, breaking open a small hole. Then he just stared down at the hole… this hole is what got him here

"Jack Frost?" he heard a voice say. Jack turned his head towards the voice, as did the Guardians. It was a boy, the boy from yesterday; Jamie. But this time he was alone. The Guardians were worried for the boy's safety around Jack; there was no knowing what he would do. And now he had weakened the ice by putting a hole in it "Are you Jack Frost?" Jamie asked

"…Yes" Jack said. Jamie smiled hugely and took a step closer to Jack "I knew I was right! You look just how you were described in the books" Jamie said. Jack was now confused; Jamie had said Jack sounded nothing like the Jack he had read in his books. Jack moved closer to Jamie, and the Guardians all held their breath

"Do I?" Jack said, grinning at him

"Yeah! They said you had dark eyes and sharp teeth, but I knew that didn't sound right" Now they were all confused, including Jack. The Guardians were still seeing Jack with sharp teeth and deep, dark eyes. And Jack had seen himself in windows and mirrors; he knew what he looked like. Jack stepped closer to Jamie; now they were only a few feet apart and Jack was nearly off the ice

"And what do I look like to you?" Jack asked

"Just as you were described in my books; you have white hair and ice blue eyes. And your teeth aren't sharp; they are actually perfect and really white; like snow. And you look like you love to have lots of fun" Jamie told him

"What is going on?" Bunny said quietly to nobody in particular, but Jamie heard him. He looked in their direction and his face lit up

"I knew it! People kept telling me I was too old to believe, but I knew you were real!" Jamie says, running over to the Guardians. He hugged each of them, and they hugged him back. But they were all very confused. Why did Jamie see Jack differently?

Jack was still on the pond, and by now he had drifted back over to the hole he had created in the ice. Jamie noticed the confused and sad expression on Jack's face over Bunny's shoulder when he hugged him.

"What's wrong with Jack?" Jamie asked

"We don't know" Santa said under his breath. Jamie walked back to the edge of the pond and looked at Jack for a moment longer. The others followed behind Jamie, but stopped a few feet behind him

"Jack… what's wrong?" Jamie asked. Jack hesitated for a moment before he looked away from the hole and at Jamie

"I died here… right here in this exact spot… saving my sister" Jack says "but the moon saved me and turned me into what I am"

"You say that like it's bad" Jamie says, confused by why being saved would be a bad thing

"I didn't know any of that until recently…" Jack says, sounding sad. Tooth was amazed; she could see a little bit of Jack before Pitch changed him. Maybe they really could change him back, she thought. The others were thinking it too. "I have been living since then without anybody" Jack continued to tell Jamie

"Why?"

"Nobody believed in me… so they couldn't see me. I had to change and become that awful being to be believed in… and now you don't even see me like that" Jack says, sounding exacerbated

"The others can see you like that too; the way Jamie sees you" Tooth says, flying forward a little bit. But Jack shook his head and took a step back, keeping the distance between them

"No… it's too late" Jack utters

"Jack… your center-" Santa remarks

"Whatever it was before is gone… my center is fear" Jack replies

"Jack… your center was fun… you had fun all the time" Santa tells him. Jack shook his head and was about to say something back when Jamie spoke

"But, you kinda need fear for good fun" Jamie suggests

"What?" Jack asked, confused

"I was on my sled a few days ago and I got my tooth knocked out when I went my sled went crazy and I slid around town. It was a lot of fun, but it did get scared sometimes. It makes adrenaline, and that makes fun even more fun" Jamie responds, stepping closer to Jack "You don't have to be scary to the other people. We can make them see that you aren't scary" Jamie steps a little closer

"Jamie, you need to get off the ice" Bunny warns, after seeing little cracks beginning to spread from the hole Jack made in the ice. But Jamie ignores him

"Please, Jack" he says, stepping closer again. The ice cracks more, spreading toward Jamie. He looks down and sees how the ice has broken. He tried to take a little step back, but the ice cracks again, louder

Jack is seeing the scene all over again. But this time, it will be his fault; he busted the hole in the ice, weakening it. And now Jamie may fall in. He could smell the fear on Jamie, the fear that he would fall, but this time the fear didn't feel good. Jamie attempted another step back, away from the cracks. But it didn't work. The ice cracked loudly… and Jamie fell through


	5. Seeing the Truth

"Jamie!" Jack shouted, quickly flying up into the wind, then diving down into the ice hole. The cold never bothered him, but Jamie was almost too heavy for him. But Jack still managed to pull him out of the icy water. Jamie was cold and his lips were already blue

"Tooth!" Jack shouted. Tooth flew over quickly, shaking away her shock of Jamie falling. Tooth and Jack grab Jamie and quickly fly him to the hospital. Jack had had a fondness for this area, so he knew it like the back of his hand and they quickly got him to the hospital. Several people were very confused when the saw an unconscious boy flying in, but they quickly began to treat him, despite their confusion.

Jamie woke, shivering, and was able to tell the nurses his name. They contacted his parents and they got there quickly. Jack stayed in the waiting room with Tooth. She couldn't leave him, especially since he had changed in her eyes. He was now the old Jack, with beautiful bright blue eyes and perfectly white teeth. He didn't know how she saw him, however. They stayed there for hours, not wanting to leave, but not wanting to see Jamie either. Soon the news came in  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

"Today's biggest story is, yet again, Jack Frost" the reporter says, catching the attention of Jack and Tooth "Many of the people who had claimed to have seen a sharp toothed, dark eyed Jack Frost were amazed to see a light eyed Jack Frost heroically saving a boy who had fallen in a frozen pond. We have a witness here. Sir, can you tell us what you saw?"

"Yes, when I first saw Jack Frost a few days ago, he was scary lookin! He had dark eyes and sharp teeth and just looked downright scary! But the fellow I saw looked like him, was savin that kid and he looked friendly as hell, maybe just a little scared. I'm sure it was the same guy, not many people fly, you know. Maybe he's changed" a man says

"Thank you, sir. So, folks, maybe Jack Frost had turned over a new leaf. Maybe instead of freezing things, now he is going to save children…" Jack stopped listening

"Jack… are you okay?" Tooth asked, hesitantly

"I… I don't know… it was my fault he fell"

"But you saved him"

"I…. I'm leaving" he said, quickly getting up and rushing out the door before taking flight with the wind. It was too fast for Tooth to catch up to him. Tooth went back to the hospital just in time to see the others arrive

"Is Jamie okay?" Santa and Bunny asked at the same time. Sandy had a large question mark over his head

"Yeah, his parents should be here soon and he should be okay, but…" Tooth's voice trailed off

"But what?" Santa asked

"Well… Jamie said he saw Jack as he was before Pitch changed him. And seeing Jack act the way he did to save Jamie… it made me see the old Jack too" Tooth tried to explain

"What do you mean?" Bunny asked her

"His eyes, his teeth, even his voice… just as before. It was such a relief. But I get it now; people believe what they want to believe. Jamie wanted to believe in a Jack Frost that wasn't scary; so he did… we need to get people to believe in the old Jack"  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

"Pitch! Pitch Black!" Jack shouted, hesitating before going down into Pitch's den "Pitch!"

"What do you want?" Pitch asked, slowing coming out from behind where he was hiding

"Undo it!" Jack shouted at him. Pitch took a step away from him

"I don't know how to… I swear I don't" he told him, trying to keep his voice steady. Never had he been so afraid of anything

"Stop being so afraid of everything! Your fear is nauseating!" Jack continued to shout

"I wish I could change you back, but I don't know how" Pitch said, avoiding looking at Jack

"…I am not going to do anything to you" Jack told Pitch, annoyed by his fear. He took a moment to look at Pitch… he looked awful "Haven't been working lately?" Jack asked him

"Why would I need to? You strew enough fear among the masses…. I don't even need to be here"

"I don't want to do that anymore… I didn't want to do it in the first place; it's your fault!" Jack told him

"I know…."

Jack said nothing else before leaving. Pitch was broken and it would be a long while before he would be out and scaring again.

Jack thought this would make him happy, and it did, but for a different reason. He wouldn't be bothering children  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

Jamie kept asking for Jack Frost, but his parent told him he didn't exist. They didn't listen to him when he said that he was real, just like the Tooth Fairy was real and that she was standing in the corner of the room. They just told him he needed to get more rest and then left him to sleep

"Where did Jack go?" Jamie asked Tooth after his parents left

"I don't know" she told him, honestly

"Is he going to come back?"

"….I- I don't know, Jamie" Tooth told him. She wished she could give him an actual answer, but…. There was no knowing where Jack was or when, or if, he was going to return…


	6. Hot Chocolate

Jack went back to the pond… he just had to. There was nowhere else he could think clearly. But his clear thoughts were being muddled by the memories he now associated with this place. He had nowhere else to go, however. He just sat in silence, staring at the pond

Then he heard noise. It was a scream… then laughter. He followed the sound until he found a group of children having a snowball fight

He used to love snowball fights. He remembered the snowball fight that he had helped Jamie and his friends have not too long ago. He used to love helping kids have fun. Apparently it had been his center; fun.

But now he only watched from behind a large snow bank, unaware of the people watching him

"They said he helped that kid" the mother of one of the children said as they saw Jack Frost watching their children from behind a snow bank. They had begun to believe when they read all the stories about Jack in the papers. But he didn't look mean or evil, as people had described. They thought he actually looked pretty innocent: he was only a child, and he seemed upset about something as he watched the children play

"Even so, he better keep his distance from the children" another mother said, sitting on the edge of her seat, unwilling to look away from the stranger watching her child

"I don't know… he doesn't look 'evil'" the first mother said, studying Jack. He hadn't made any kind of move towards the children, he just watched them. He eventually just sat in the snow and seemed to sigh "Someone should talk to him"

"Are you crazy?" one father asked her; sure that she was, in fact, crazy

"No, he just looks bothered. Those stories could be just that; stories. He probably doesn't even have that 'magic' they say he has; he's probably just a young man who's having stories made up about him" she told them, standing "I'm going to see if he's okay"

Jack just sat down in the snow, watching the children play and have fun. He was so confused. He felt something different when he saved Jamie, and he didn't know what it was. He didn't care about the fear coming strongly from Jamie and Tooth, he just cared about getting him warm again. He didn't think he was capable of caring about others again. Especially since he was feared by so many people… but at least he was believed in

He was so deep in thought, he didn't hear the crunching of snow that meant someone was walking towards him

"Excuse me, young man, are you okay?" he heard a woman say. He quickly jumped up and turned to face her. He was sure that, if she could see him, she would run for the hills when she realized who he was. But she didn't; she just looked at him really concerned. He didn't answer her "You just looked really bothered by something" she said

"… I'm fine" he told her, making sure his teeth were visible when he spoke, that would be enough to frighten her away. But she didn't run, didn't look scared, and he smelled no fear on her. She only smiled at him

"I brought some hot chocolate for the kids" she said, gesturing to the children "But I'm sure we can spare some, if you'd like"

Jack quickly looked back and forth several times between the woman, the children, and the other parents he notice sitting on the bench to the right of him. He thought about it for a moment

"Ok" he said quietly. The woman smiled at him and gestured for him to follow her back to the bench

"If you don't mind my asking… are you Jack Frost?" she asks, somewhat hesitantly

"I am" he said, flinching slightly. For the first time, he was a little ashamed of the things he has been doing the last few weeks

"Hmm" is all the woman said until they got to the bench with the rest of the parents "This is Jennifer and Mike. Jennifer, Mike, this is Jack Frost… Oh and my goodness, Jack I am Lisa" she told everybody. Jennifer and Mike stared at Jack as if they believed he would morph into something else right before their eyes

"Hey" Jack said quietly. Lisa shot a look at Jennifer and Mike; a look she usually saved for her children; a look that said it's impolite to stare and they looked back to the children for a moment. Lisa went to her bag and pulled out a thermos and a stack of small cups. She poured a small cup of hot chocolate and handed it to Jack

"Thank you" he said quietly. Then he sat back down in the snow, facing the children again.

"So, Jack… what's the stick for? If I may ask" Mike said after a long moment of silence. Jack lifted his staff from the snow and ran his fingers across it. For years he had wondered why his staff held some of his power. After seeing his memories, he knew the reason

"I've just always had it" Jack answered quietly

"Are you the guy from the stories?" Jennifer said as if she couldn't help herself. Jack glanced back at her before looking back at the kids again

"…Yes" he told her. He could smell some fear on both Jennifer and Mike, but he tried to ignore it while he also wondered why he could smell no fear from Lisa

"Are you really… I mean, can you really..." Jennifer couldn't get her question into words

"Yes" Jack said, knowing what she was wondering

"I'd like to see that" Mike mumbled to himself. But Jack had heard him. He turned his staff skyward and sent a burst of power through it. It presented itself as a burst of light, shooting into the sky. A moment after, it began to snow "Holy…" Mike mumbled, looking up at the sky. They all stared at Jack, wide-eyed. Before anybody could say anything else, the children began to run over

"Mom, can we have come hot choc-" the girl stopped when she saw Jack "That's Jack Frost" she whispered

"Yes, this is Jack Frost, why don't you say hello?" Lisa told her daughter. But her daughter had heard a lot about Jack; someone who could shoot sharp icicles and had black eyes and sharp teeth, but her mother always told her that those stories weren't true. She didn't know what to believe, so she was very wary of Jack

"Umm… hi" the girl said quietly "… can we have some hot chocolate?" she then quietly asked her mother

"Of course" Lisa told her, pulling out the thermos and cups again, filling and handing them out to the children. They all just stood by, drinking their hot chocolate and trying not to obviously stare at Jack. It was silent for a long time, and Jack stared thinking about Jamie again. He hadn't cared about anybody… but the guilt he felt for what happened to Jamie was deeply bothering him

"Do you know how to make snowballs?" A little girl asked, sitting down across from Jack. He had no choice but to look at her. He hadn't directly spoken with children before and the first time he had done it, he almost died. He was reluctant to try it again. But the little girl's large, questioning eyes demanded an answer

"Yeah" Jack told her

"Can you help us make more?" she asked him, smiling a little. Jack hesitated for a long moment before he took his staff and ran it about an inch above the snow. Several perfectly round snowballs appeared before their eyes "Wow!" the little girl exclaimed. The other children were now curious and they all sat around Jack. He couldn't help but grin a little as he repeated what he had done before, making more snowballs. The children were intrigued and the parents were amazed.

This was the guy terrorizing people for the last few weeks? They couldn't believe it. Their description of him was even wrong; he didn't look scary or evil. So when the kids asked if Jack could play with them, the parents agreed; if Jack wanted to. Jack thought about it for a while before he answered. But he agreed


	7. Dream a Better Dream

"You see?" Tooth said

"I can't believe it" Santa said, amazed. Never had he seen something like this before. He never thought it was anything but completely black and white; either or believed and saw or you didn't. But that wasn't the case anymore. They were all behind a snow bank, watching Jack have a snowball fight with a group of kids, with their parents watching on. Santa was seeing the old Jack, like Tooth; as was Sandy.

Bunny still wasn't so sure.

They left Jamie so they could find Jack. They weren't expecting him to be playing with children, and they didn't want to stop him, so they just watched

Jack was so confused. As he ran around with the children, providing never ending snowballs, he could smell fear; a lot of fear. But the children were having fun; how could there be fear? He wondered. He couldn't believe it, but he was having fun as well. Could Jamie have been right? Did you need fear to have fun? Could he be who he was before; a fun guy, and still be believed in?

He was confused, but he couldn't help but to have fun with the children. He laughed a real laugh for the first time in what felt like forever. He had forgotten what playing with children and having fun felt like.

But then the children had to leave

"Thank you for playing with us" one of the girls told Jack before they left

"Yes, thank you so much, Jack. They had a lot of fun" Lisa said to Jack

"Yeah, I…." Jack stopped before saying that he did too. But he wasn't sure why. He just nodded and slightly waved the parents and children goodbye. He stood in the middle of the field, watching them all walk away

"What am I?" he asked after the children were long out of his sight

"You're a guardian" Jack quickly turned at the sound of a voice and found the Guardians standing behind him. He hadn't realized he had spoken aloud

"What're you all doing here?" Jack asked

"We came looking for you… we were worried" Tooth tells him. It was much easier for her to look at him and speak to him without the sharp teeth and dark eyes. He looked so much younger and innocent without them

"You should be worried about Jamie" Jack said

"We are worried about him, but the doctor said he was going to be okay. He went home" Tooth explained. Jack looked noticeably relieved, even though he tried to hide it

"Good" he said quietly, looking down. He was hoping to avoid the Guardians a little longer… so he could figure himself out

Jack… what did the kids say about your appearance?" Santa asked him

"They… they didn't say anything… but their parents said I didn't look like-"he didn't know how to describe how he thought he looked. It seemed that he was seen differently by some people. But how could that be? The others could see the confusion on Jack's face

"Jack… you don't… not to me, anyway" Tooth told him gently

"What?" he asked, looking up at her quickly. Tooth hesitated for a moment, not knowing what his reaction would be. But he needed to know, so she told him

"You look just as you did before… before Pitch changed you. Bright blue eyes, and perfect teeth as white as snow" she explained

"But why?" Jack asked softly, more to himself, but the others heard him

"We aren't sure why, but… don't you see? You don't have to continue to be that other guy. You have a choice" Santa told him

Jack looked at all the Guardians. They all looked hopeful, probably that Jack would choose fun over fear, all of them but Bunny. Bunny looked wary and worried. For the first time, knowing that someone was afraid of him didn't make him feel strong… it made him feel remorseful. He stood and walked to Bunny, but didn't get too close. He could smell the fear in Bunny increase the closer he got

"Bunnymund…. I'm sorry… for what I said… I just… I just wanted what you've got" Jack told Bunny, his voice slowly lowering to just a whisper "I hope… I hope I can stop focusing on the fear… and stick with fun…. I hope I still remember how" a lone tear fell from Jack's eye, running a little down his cheek before freezing there

Bunny didn't know what to say. Jack put his head down and stared at the snow and everybody else just stood, waiting for the reaction. Bunny didn't want to be afraid of Jack, and even thought the old Jack was annoying, he was a lot better that the new one. He also hoped Jack could remember how to be who he was before. Hope could be a very strong feeling, Bunny knew that more than anybody

"Jack" Bunny said. Jack hesitated before looking up at him. Bunny sighed in relief "There you are, Mate. Those dark eyes were a bit freaky" he told him. He was seeing Jack again, the guardian of fun. Jack smiled at Bunny and, yep, his teeth were back to normal as well. Now they needed to find a way to make the rest of the people Jack had made believe begin to believe in the right Jack

"But how can we do that?" Santa asked

"I… I have no idea. But I'm sure we can do it" Tooth told them. They all stood in silence for a moment, thinking about what to do. Then Sandy got excited and a large lightbulb appeared in sand above his head

"Whatcha got, Sandy?" Santa asked him. Sandy gathered a bunch of sand and it swirled around before coming together in the form of… Jack. The sand Jack smiled at the real one before creating a snowball out of sand and throwing it at him. Jack ducked down before it hit him, though

"So… you're going to make them dream about me?" Jack asked, not sounding too sure about it. The sand Jack wandered around all the guardians, spinning his sand staff around. He aimed the staff upward and shot out a burst of sand that made it start to snow sand "Wow" Jack whispered, staring at the sand version of himself. He couldn't help but wonder if that was how he acted… before

"It could work" Tooth said, sounding very hopeful

"It's worth a try, at least" Bunny then said. And so Sandy began to send out dreams

They all went to the sleigh and started back to Santa's workshop. Jack went straight to the globe and sat in front of it. The others said nothing, knowing he had a good reason for what he was doing

Just as Jack had suspected, many of the lights went off. He thought hard about it on the ride to the workshop and he realized that many people would believe that if they were dreaming about him now, that they may have dreamed their first meeting with him. Jack didn't move for a long time and soon it was only him and Sandy who were still awake. Sandy hesitated for only a moment before he threw over some dream sand and made Jack fall asleep. He knew he needed it. Then he sent him a dream of how he was before

Jack dreamed of his memories; of all the fun times he had with his sister. He missed his old life and he missed his sister. But at least she got to have a life, because he had saved her. At least… he thought he had saved her. But when his dreams of his memories got to that day on the ice, it was different

"Jack…. I'm scared" his sister said, standing in her skates on the cracking ice

"I know, I know" he told her "But you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in…. We're gonna have a little fun instead!" he suggested

"No, we're not!" she exclaimed, still very afraid

"Would I trick you?" he asked

"Yes! You always play tricks!"

"Well, not this time" Jack assured her "I promise, I promise, you're gonna be… you're gonna be fine" he wasn't so sure, but he didn't let that show

"You just have to believe in me. You want to play a game? We're gonna pay hopscotch! Like we play every day. It's as easy as one…" he said, stepping a little closer to her "Two…" he stepped a little closer, acting a little goofy, to try to make her feel a little less scared. It worked, she laughed a little "Three!" he said. He was now closer to her, but not close enough to reach her. But the ice was cracking a little louder now. He saw a large stick on the ice. He could reach it. He was about to lean down to grab it when-

"Jack!" She shouted as the ice gave away and she fell through.


	8. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the end. Happy Easter!

Jack was jolted awake and sat up quickly with a gasp. He looked at Sandy; he must have made him fall asleep and have a dream... but that wasn't a dream and it definitely wasn't Sandy.

"Where is it?!" Jack shouted, jumping up and looking around. The others were confused

"Where is what?" Tooth asked gently

"I know it's in here somewhere" Jack said, ignoring the question. He saw a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and he rushed toward the movement

There it was, just like he knew. He shot a sharp shard of ice at the Nightmare in the corner and it exploded in a flash of black sand and blue ice

"How did that get in here?" Bunny asked. Jack didn't answer, he just went to the window

"I'll be back" he told the others before taking flight out of the window

Jack hesitated for a moment before going down the tunnel. There was no way Pitch was stupid enough to send a Nightmare into a room of Guardians. Which means the Nightmares have gone rogue. Jack was more calm this time, not shouting like he was last time he was here

"Pitch" Jack said calmly

"What do you want now?" Pitch asked, stepping out from the shadows

"I am going to destroy all the Nightmares" he told him

"But... you can't do that!" Pitch exclaimed, stepping forward several steps. Jack narrowed his eyes at him and he backed away again

"I can and I will. You've done what you've done for hundreds of years without the Nightmares and you can continue to do so without them. You actually have no choice in the matter, I am going to destroy all of them!" he told him firmly. Pitch put his head down and took another step back, back into the shadows

"Fine" he said

"Your fear still irritates me" Jack said to himself "Nobody is going to stop you from causing fear. There's nothing that can be done about it. Without fear, the Guardians have no purpose" Jack told Pitch. Pitch said nothing, but did give an understanding nod. Jack said nothing else before leaving.  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

"Jack! Are you okay?" Tooth asked as soon as she saw Jack come in the door

"Yeah... I'm fine. I have to go do something, though" he told them

"What are you going to do? We could help" Santa said, standing

"No, I don't think you could help" Jack told him

"Please... just tell us what you are doing" Tooth said

"...I'm going to destroy the Nightmares" Jack finally told them

"All of them?" Bunny asked

"Yes, all of them" he said. Sandy smiled and pointed to himself; he wanted to help "Sandy, we can't have something bad happening to you. I can do it myself" Jack told him

"And what if something happens to you?" Bunny asked

"… I'll be fine" Jack said, somewhat hesitantly

"Jack… please let us help you" Santa told him, placing his hand on his shoulder

"…fine… I want it done quickly" Jack told them. It wasn't long before they were all ready and in the sleigh.  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

"Think we got them all?" Bunny asked. They had been hunting down and destroying all the nightmares for a near full twenty four hours.

"No, I'm sure there are a few more" Jack told him "But we can get them after we've rested" he told them. The others agreed and they went back to Santa's workshop to get some sleep

Or try to. Jack only slept a couple of hours before he woke and couldn't go back to sleep. He wanted to check on Jamie, to make sure he was okay. He actually had a very strong need to be sure Jamie was safe. So h quietly left the workshop and headed off to see Jamie  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

It was dark. And it was cold. And he was scared. He couldn't hear anything for a long time. He thought he heard a voice, but he couldn't be sure. The coldness had warmed some, but not enough. Then the beeping came and wouldn't stop

He was asked how he felt. He felt fine, if just a little cold. That was normal. He was asked how it happened. He couldn't tell them. He wasn't unable, but he knew he couldn't tell them. They said he may remain cold for a few hours, if not a day or two, but he was fine to go home.

But he wanted to go back to the pond. He wanted to see if Jack was still there. He didn't bother asked, however, because he knew it would never happen. He was going to be kept in the house for as long as possible. But maybe Jack would come see him

He was so excited and had never gotten out of bed so fast when he heard a quiet knock at his window. The Tooth Fairy came in and gave him a hug. As did Santa, The Sand Man, and the Easter Bunny… but not Jack. They didn't know where he had gone. They told him that it may be best to just leave him alone for a while

So he waited for a while. It felt like forever, especially since he couldn't go back outside to play with his friends or do something in the snow. He thought maybe it wasn't going to happen and he was just eluding himself…  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

It was dark. And it was cold. And he was scared. And it didn't go away. He stayed that way; cold, dark, and scared. If anything, it seemed to get colder, darker, and he became more scared. Was it ever going to go away? It was beginning to hurt…

A bright flash of blue woke him up. He sat up quickly and relished the warmth in the room. He looked over to his window… and saw Jack Frost with his staff aimed in the direction of the large smear of black and blue across one side of the room

"W-What… what was that?" he asked quietly, still shivering a little. He was still cold from the dream and he had never gotten quite as warm as he had been before falling through the ice

"I'm so sorry, Jamie. That was a nightmare. The guardians and I have been getting rid of the nightmares, but…" Jack looked down, he seemed ashamed

"It's not your fault, Jack" he told him. But Jack said nothing "Jack…?"

"I know how it feels…. It hurts… and it's very scary… and it's my fault that you went through it as well" Jack told him

"But Jack, you saved me!" Jamie insisted

"I wouldn't have had to save you if I hadn't caused you to fall" he was about to say more, but he saw the look on Jamie's face. He looked very sad, and like he might cry "Jamie, please don't cry" he told him, but that didn't stop the first tear from falling slowly down Jamie's cheek. Jack wanted nothing more than to comfort Jamie; to give him a hug. He sat on the edge of the bed next to Jamie and Jamie leaned over and hugged him tight. Jack couldn't help but to hug him back

"Sorry… I can only keep you cold" Jack told him

"I've been cold since I've been home… but I don't feel cold now" Jamie told him. Jack was surprised and didn't know what to say… so he said nothing "Thank you, Jack" Jamie whispered  
•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.•°.

"Will you, Jack Frost, vow to watch over the children of the world? Guard them with your life; their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all that we have, all that we are, all that we will ever be?" Santa asked

"I will" Jack told him, with a large smile on his face. He glanced over at Jamie and he also wore a large smile

"Then, congratulations, Jack Frost, for you are now and forever more… a guardian" Santa proclaimed. Everybody cheered and yelled in excitement while a small elf blew a loud fanfare. Jack was finally a guardian.

Jack caused a lot of fear. And that fear made adrenaline, which made it fun. He went all over the world, but like always ways he eventually made his way back to his pond… and Jamie. He and Jamie didn't speak anymore; Jamie was too old for Jack. But that didn't stop him from watching over him and making sure he was okay.

And then the day finally came. Jamie and his wife arrived home…. Carrying their little bundle. The guardians could not have been happier when Jack told them. But Jack was more excited about what was to come.

"It snowed! Daddy, it snowed! Can I play outside?" the little boy asked. Of course, his father said yes so he rushed around trying to find layers of clothes to put on. He ran outside and immediately plopped down in the snow and made a snow angel.

He waited for about ten minutes, as his father had always told him, before he went to the middle of the yard. He was old enough to try it, so he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said out loud

"Jack Frost" and slowly opened his eyes.

There he was. Just like his father had always told him. The young man with white hair, a staff, and bare feet in the ice cold snow. They smiled at each other

"Hi Jack!" he said. Jack was about to respond when they heard the door open.

"Jack, you forgot your hat, you don't want to get-" Jamie stopped midsentence when he saw Jack Frost. He hadn't seen him in years! He rushed over and gave him a hug. He was finally taller. Jack hugged him back tightly, he had missed him and didn't think Jamie had still believed in him

Jamie stepped away and then pulled his son to his side

"Jack… I'd like you to meet my son… Jack" Jamie told him with a large smile

"His name is…. You named him after me?" Jack asked, unbelieving

"Of course I did" Jamie told him. Before Jack could say anything, he was hit with a snowball… Jack.

The End


End file.
